Balloon Cluster Atlantic Crossing Fails

Man touches down in Newfoundland

A man held aloft by hundreds of helium-filled balloons touched down in Newfoundland Thursday after falling short of his goal to cross the Atlantic. "This doesn't look like France," he posted on Facebook.

Jonathan Trappe took off from Maine Thursday morning on what was expected to be a three- to six-day journey across the Atlantic. He was hoping to become the first person to cross the ocean Up style. But he experienced trouble guiding his craft and touched down safely Thursday night in Newfoundland.

Trappe previously crossed the English Channel using a cluster of balloons. He'd been working on the trans-Atlantic crossing for two years and was riding in a basket that could have doubled as a lifeboat were he forced to conduct a water landing.

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